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Appearance: Dark almost black brown with red hues and a healthy off-white head.

Aroma: Darn. I was hoping for a rauchbier but this isnt it. At least I was forewarned when the label said Smoke on the Porter instead of Rauchbier as previously advertised by NG. Thats not to say that this beer doesnt deliver. It does and I will say that I am pleased to see NG move away from barrel aged, funky, big beers. Ok, so to this beer Smoke on the Porter has a subdued but ever-present woody smoked aroma blended with cocoa powder and touches of fruit think grilled fruit. Very nice.

Taste: Dry and bitter chocolate balanced by sweet caramel completely wrapped up in smoke. Not off putting in the slightest, as many smoked and rauch beers are. One doesnt necessarily have to be a rauchbier fan to enjoy this. Light smoke flavor lingers for some time.

Mouthfeel: Well balanced. Creamy and smooth. Could use a little beefing up as the body is quite light.

Drinkability: Goes down quickly and easily, especially for the style.

Doesnt hold water against Alaskan but otherwise one of the best American smoked beers Ive had.

Update: 11-28-07 - The last couple of bottle I've tasted seem a lot more smokey and meaty than the first. Perhaps a couple weeks in the cellar helped those flavors develop? At any rate, I'm enjoying this beer more and more.

12oz. bottle date coded 3047 which I believe means bottled on the 304th day of 2007 which makes this beer a hair over 2 years old. It has been in my possession for almost that long.

Poured a deep brown into a tulip with a distinct lack of head during the pour. After the pour is completed the bubbles rise to the surace and create a half finger beige head that was quickly transformed into a ring of bubbles on the perimeter of the glass.

Aroma of roasted barley and coffee with a lingering smoke. Also has a little boozy sweetness reminiscent of a RIS which was surprising considering the gravity.

The taste is this full roasted barley explosion then it goes a little sweet. As the sweetness is taken away by the carbonation the smoke smacks you in the face. It is awesomely smoky and has this wonderful baconesque aftertaste. My uninformed wife's only comments was 'alright but tastes like bacon'. This description is fairly accurate since the label alludes to smoking the malt in a meat house with applewood. The smoke just sticks with you long after a sip and it is not at all unpleasant.

It drinks like a beer that is bigger than it is. With only 6.1% ABV it drinks like it is in the 9-10% range. Usually when that is said it is meant like it tastes boozy but this is nothing of the sort. It just has this residual sweetness that makes it seem like a big beer and almost forces you to savor this one in small sips. While this hampers the drinkability a little tad I love that it is forcing me to slowly enjoy the beverage and take it all in.

Oh man I am sad that this is my last bottle of this stuff. I picked up a 4-pack in my beer advocate infancy and enjoyed the other three before truly appreciating the style and intricacies. I am glad I have held on to this one for almost 2 years and can now have the proper experience. A wonderful smoked beer and here's to hoping that this one makes a return appearance on the NG lineup.

T: Lovely big malt taste. Some caramel sweetness but a nice burnt toasted essence. Bit of a coffee bitter aftertaste - not very hoppy. I haven't had much experience with smoked porters but I can imagine how they can easily be overdone or unauthentic in taste. This is well done in my very limited experience.

M: Creamy and smooth. Nice amount of carbonation to keep it lively. Medium/light body. The mouthfeel seemed to degrade throughout the drink - started to feel thin toward the end.

D: It's a simple drink (or at least deceptively simple) and well balanced. Just slipped down. I couldn't consume it fast enough. I would have been happy to consume a few more right on the spot too! Maybe I can beg Brian to give me another? Is this really 6.1 ABV? Makes me want to dig into New Glarus and see what else they have for me!

New Glarus Brewing Co.'s Unplugged series is where the owner/brewmaster gets to go out on a limb. What is brewed generally is outside the box and beers from this series may or may not be brewed again. Both smoked Wisconsin malt and smoked malt from Bamberg Germany were used to brew this beer.

Dense mass of hasty cascading bubbles form three fingers of rocky tan head, the lacing from this is epic. Creamy dark cocoa, mild char and even smokiness in the nose, very aromatic. Creamy and smooth with a depth of crispness in the medium body. The smoky character stays true with an even keel of complex flavor throughout. Hops are very mild, the malt really shines with a soft cake-like sweetness within. Suggestions of dark-roasted coffee and bitter dark chocolate come to mind. A long road of slowly fading smoke and roasted malt in the end.

No doubt, the balance of this smoked porter is unsurpassed. You know it's there but it never comes over the top and that sets it apart from the rest. When Bostonians think of beers like this, fresh-shucked oysters come to mind--both shellfish and fatty fish like salmon will do well for a pairing.

Pours into my glass an extremely deep, dark brown that edges towards black with a inch of creamy, bubbly light tan head atop the brew. Thick patchy lacing all the way down the glass. Aromas start off with big, slightly roasted dark malts immediately swept up by a strong smoke aroma, akin to a wood smoke campfire! Visions of yummy smoked meats come to mind. Touches of chocolate and a bit of coffee lurk underneath, but the woody smoke aroma lingers on.

First sip brings a nice dark roasted malty body upfront that quickly moves into dense smoky territory. Again, wood smoke comes to mind along with smoked meats. Notes of chocolate and coffee with a mellow fruity aspect move through as the brew goes down. It finishes off with a touch of bitterness and lingering smoky aftertaste. Good stuff!

Mouthfeel is solidly medium bodied with a smooth creaminess all the way down. I found this brew really enjoyable to drink and actually quite refreshing as well. Overall, a solid, tasty smoked porter from New Glarus. I enjoy the smoked beers and this one definitely ranks up there. Would like to see more brewers take a stab at the style.

Pours a very dark brown/black with dark red when tilted to the light. Head is a light tan color that retains well and leaves some nice lacing. Smell is roasty, with some smokiness (though not much) and has hints of sweet cherries. Additional bottles I have had have given me a fresh, juicy bacon aroma; would be great with breakfast. Taste is roasty right at the start, leading into a little bit of sweetness from lactose followed by a lighter fruitiness (pear-like?) and of course has a lingering smoky finish. Mouthfeel is smooth with a medium body and on the lower side of carbonation. Good beer, I'll have to try it again in something other than a pint glass.

The beer pours black with a tan head. The aroma is strong smoke and roasted malt. The flavor is a meaty BBQ smoke with some roasted malt. The smoke is the predominant flavor but it doesn't overpower. Medium, slightly creamy mouthfeel and low carbonation.

A- This beer has a dense black body with a thick yellowish-tan head with a big bubble carbonation.

S- This beer has a black roasted malt aroma with a coffee roasted malt note followed by a light salty smoke smell and a faint damp peat quality.

T- The black roasted malt is big and followed by a soft cola note and a soft smoked meat flavor. There is a lighter caramel malt taste that increases as the beer warms. There is a soft bitter black malt and smoke tartness at the finish.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a creamy texture.

D- This beer is a good solid porter first and that is supported by a nice salty smoke undertone. The smoke is a great flavor and doesn't have the band-aid peat flavors that many smoke beers do.

Pours a deep black with ruby tones and a very stable and creamy light tan head that leaves ok lacing. Nose is smoked malts and roast, peat. Taste follows with good smoked and roasted malt flavor. A nice vanilla creaminess through the middle. Ample carbonation. Mouthfeel is nice and creamy, great viscosity. Drinkability is very nice for the style. Overall I am quite impressed with this one. The smoke element is right in between subtle and obvious. So if you dont like balls out smokiness (AK smoked) but you want more than some wussy microhint of smoke (stone smoked) this is perfect for you. A good and interesting brew. Glad I have a couple more of these to enjoy.

Since this was named as an Unplugged Release circa early Spring of this year ('07), it has been listed as "Rauch" on New Glarus' website (and still is, at least as of yesterday). When I found out it was actually a smoked porter, I felt downright betrayed. On the other hand, I've been bandstanding for NG to cease the barrel-aged wild-yeast Unpluggeds out of their numbing sameness. Ultimately, I got met half way, up front.

And I'll concede a little too, as my deflatedness over the smoked porter instead of a true-styled Rauch is short-lived once a glass of this sits in front of me.

It pours opaque, the darkest cola-brown possible, and basically presenting as jet black unless held to a strong light. The tan head is tight and short, but longstanding as a fluffed collar. The nose is where smoke always shines...or smolders brightest. And it does here with campfire, cured ham, and cocoa powder. Into the mouth, there's a deep roasted nut, and dilute coffee essence up front, as it ventures sweeter towards hot cocoa just prior to the smoke. Then the smoked applewood and Bamberg malts usher in campfire stories, fireplaces, burn barrels full of newspaper and autumn leaves. Meatiness is subtler, but smoked beef brisket drips out near the end. But this never truly ends, and the linger is noteworthy unto itself. After the sips, as late October smoke still swirls around the mouth, a sweetness is found anew with a burnt vanilla flair, and a revisit to marshmallowed cocoa. Medium light in build, carbonation is low, slow and steady. This modest build reflects the beer itself, and ensures this as a drinker and very sessionable and food-friendly. It could easily overpower, and it doesn't. It shows restraint without feeling restrained. For those of us in Wisconsin that can't track down a steady supply of Alaskan's version, this is a very worthy replacement...while it is available. A triumphant return to form for the Unplugged lineup. My initial misgivings seem utterly foolish now.

This is about smoked, not about porter. There are some porter tastes, but all I get is beautiful smoke and woodiness, that carry you. Very lovely drinkability, backed by an understated sweetness and a little chocolate. Another great unplugged, another great WI state beer. Thanks Phys21ca.

Taste didnt have as much smoke as aroma. Has a mellow smokey taste that is very smooth with a cleansing, smooth mouthfell that would go great with BBQ. Leaves a very little hop bitterness in the finish.

Very good beer and sessionable, but not as exciting as I expected. Not sure of the ABV or price. I would love more smoke flavors in this brew.

New Glarus is a ballsy brewery, and I like that. Take this beer, a lesser brewery would have released a bourbon barrel aged extreme what-have-you beer. But that ain't the way Dan rolls. This is a nice session beer that happens to be fantastically well done, with a hint of smoke for added complexity. It just works on being good, that's all. Nothing else. Unplugged is right, they are working on showing off their craft while other breweries play up their pyrotechnics and costumes. America needs more beers like this.

I will say that even though I do praise NG for having a lighter touch with their Unplugged beers, I think the touch here may have been a little too soft. The base beer is less a porter and more of a dry stout. It is just so light.

The carbonation is very light, just a nice prickle on the tongue. Then there is a quick hit of light roastiness that fades into just the right amount of smoke. Rauchbiers are too much for me, but the taste of ham worked well with the initial hit of roasted malt. A little bit of chocolate fades in-and-out in the finish and the smokiness fades into a light fruitiness.

It is a very good showcase of what smoked malt can do in a way that heavier-handed rauchbiers don't. That is great in terms of a "getting to know your malts" perspective. But I wish the base beer had a little more to it. Not in an ueber-imperial way, but just a more robust beer. There are any number of porters that I can name with more ooomph and a little of that ooomph would work with the smoke. Good stuff though.